Kelley School conference examines healthcare industry’s role in fighting the opioid epidemic

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Dr. Jennifer Walthall, secretary of the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration, will keynote “The Healthcare Industry in Pain Management and Addressing the Opioid Crisis,” a conference being presented Feb. 15 by the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Walthall will kick off the conference, the latest event in the Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference Series, organized by Kelley’s Center for the Business of Life Sciences. It will take place at Cook Medical headquarters, 750 Daniels Way in Bloomington. The event will begin at 9 a.m. and wrap up at 2:45 p.m.

An IU study released last year found that opioid misuse costs Indiana over $4 billion annually, or $11 million daily. The conference will focus on how the healthcare industry can play a key role in combating this crisis and find alternative treatments for dealing with pain other than opioids.

Representatives from providers, pharmaceuticals and medical device companies will provide an overview and an update on a wide range of initiatives and current efforts.

“While other conferences have focused on the scope and causes of the opioid crisis, we hope to contribute to the effort to find solutions for what is perhaps Indiana’s biggest public health crisis,” said George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences. “This crisis emerged because of many factors – some well-intended and others unintended – but the healthcare industry has accumulated much knowledge that hopefully can effectively fight this challenge.”

Dr. Robert Conley, chief science officer for neuroscience at Lilly Bio-Medicines, will present the conference’s other keynote, an overview of ongoing research in pain management.

Two panels discussions will focus on efforts to help those with a substance abuse disorder and on alternatives in pain management and treatment. Presenters will include IU faculty members Ryan Brewer, associate professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, and Alex Straiker, an associate scientist in psychological and brain sciences at IU Bloomington. They are involved in IU’s Grand Challenges initiative in response to the addictions crisis.

Other presenters at the conference will include Brian Carrico, CEO of Innovative Health Solutions; Dr. Janetta Iwanicki, scientific director of research and surveillance at Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center; Riley Swinehart, vice president for government affairs at AdvaMed; Jeremy Carpenter, executive director at Groups Recover Together Inc.; Thomas Mathers, a partner at Pappas Capital; and Jim Kichefski, head of sales, digital therapeutics, at Sandoz Novartis.

Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Walthall (pictured left) to lead the Family and Social Services in January 2017 after serving as deputy state health commissioner and as director for health outcomes at the Indiana State Department of Health.

Walthall is a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine. She served as the division chief for pediatric emergency medicine and was the program director for the Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Residency from 2007 to 2015.

She works clinically in the emergency department at Riley Hospital for Children. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston Honors College, a Master in Public Health degree from the IU Richard Fairbanks School of Public Health and a medical degree from the IU School of Medicine.

The registration fee is $175 and includes lunch. Students at accredited Indiana institutions of higher education may qualify for a discounted rate. Registration and additional information are available on the conference webpage or by contacting Kelli Conder at the Kelley School at 812-856-0915 or kconder@indiana.edu. The next event in the 2018-19 Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference Series is “The Intersection of Food, Diet and Healthcare” on May 10 at One America Tower in Indianapolis.